Adjustable pattern impulse sprinkler



March 12, 1963 w. P. KENNEDY ADJUSTABLE PATTERN IMPULSE SPRINKLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 15, 1962 FIG.

F l G 2 INVENTOR- March 12, 1963 w. P. KENNEDY 3,031,039

ADJUSTABLE PATTERN IMPULSE SPRINKLER Filed June 15, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I9 INVENTOR.

+4 FIG. I0 001 United States Patent 3,081,039 ADJUSTABLE PATTERN IMPULSE SPRINKLER William P. Kennedy, 304 Freyer Drive, Marietta, Ga. Filed June 15, 1962, Ser. No. 202,811 Claims. (Cl. 239-230) means to enable the device to produce a greater variety of of patterns than have been heretofore possible by incorporating means to variably change the angle of in- .clination of thefluid discharge means so as to add this additional range. control to the range control, presently .provided by the variation of clapper amplitude of oscillation as disclosed in the above mentioned patent.

This feature causes a pronounced change of fluid discharge distances over that produced by the previous device and enables the production of patterns in which the diflerence between maximum and minimum fluid throw is substantially greater.

A further object of the invention is to provide means to produce a more uniform distribution of sprinkled fluid than that provided by previous devices of this type. The action of the clapper in single nozzle impulse pattern sprinklers, constantly passing through the single jet stream, tended to cause a heavier application of fluid to the central portions of a given pattern. The use of an additional jet nozzle with its discharge being parallel to that of the clapper agitated jet but being slightly to one-side and in no way diffused by the clapper enables a greater proportion of the springled fluid to reach the outer portions of a given pattern with no additional fluid delivered to the central portion.

It is another object of the invention to provide a simpler and more rugged means for the control of clapper amplitude of oscillation.

It is another object of the invention to provide means to impart a firmer stop to the outward swing of the clapper thereby enabling the device to operate on lower water pressures than heretofore possible.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device composed of fewer and less complex parts than that of previous sprinklers of this type which would result in a lower price and less possibility of misadjustment in use.

Numerous other objects, features, and advantages of the present structure will be apparent from the consideration of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the device in the longest jet range position.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the device in the shortest jet range position.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of FIG. 1 showing the use of a flexible tube to enable the distribution head to variably tilt in relation to the. base.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a portion of FIG. 3, showing an alternate means of enabling tilt by use of a ball joint connection rather than a flexible tube.

FIG. 5 is a view of a portion of FIG. 1, showing the distribution head modified by the use of an additional.

nozzle rather than the single nozzle shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the head assembly and a cam of the sprinkler, showing the use of two nozzles and showing the shortest range position of the clapper.

3,081,039 Patented Mar. 12, 1963 FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 and showing the longest range position of the clapper.

FIG. 8 is a view of a portion of the rear of the sprinkler, showing the clapper oscillation stop member more clearly.

FIG. 9 is a plan view in reduced scale of a cam, showing its split and hinged construction.

FIG. 10 is a plan view in reduced scale of the base portion of the device with the distribution head removed so as to show means for stationing cams.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the base of the device upon which is mounted an elbow 2 fitted at one end with a hose coupling 3 and vertically supporting a hollow standard 4 within which is rotatably mounted a hollow spindle 5 which connects to an impulse sprinkler head 6. It will be understood that the device may be mounted upon a pipe line by fastening the standard 4 thereon or may be used in a permanet underground installation by enclosing it in a suitable container with a removable cover.

The sprinkler head 6 includes a support 7, a nozzle 8, a pivotally mounted clapper 9 which is urged by the spring 10 toward the jet stream 11 issuing from said nozzle until such time as the clapper enters the path of the jet water stream from the nozzle and causes a deflection of the jet stream as shown in the broken lines in FIG. 6. The jet then forces the clapper tip away from the stream 11 as shown in FIG. 7, such action causing the other end of the clapper to strike a stop 12 adjustably afiixed to a bracket '13 mounted upon the spindle 5, such action causing the head to turn about its axis in the direction of the arrow as shown in FIG. 6.

The distribution head 6 is pivotally supported by lateral trunnions 14 upon the bracket 13. This permits the nozzle to be inclined to a long range inclination as in FIG. 1 or to a short range inclination as in FIG. 2. The head is pivotally urged to a downward inclination by means of the adjustable weight 15 on the lever 16. As a portion of the lever is in movable contact with the perimeter of a stationary cam 17 mounted upon the standard 4, the angle of inclination would be governed by the position of the lever upon th contour of the cam at any given moment. As the head revolves around the cam the nozzle inclination varies in accordance with the contour of the cam and produces a short range jet stream when the lever passes over a short side of the cam and a long range jet stream when the lever passes over -a long side of a cam with distances between being proportional.

This tiltingof the head also causes the amplitude of oscillation of the clapper 9 to vary proportionally as the head tilts. The arc of oscillation is limited by the rear portion of the clapper striking the stop 12, the oscillation distance being greatest when the nozzle inclination is highest as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7 and the distance being least when inclination is lowest as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6. As the amplitude of oscillation governs both the speed of rotation and the length of the jet stream in an impulse sprinkler, it can be seen that when the jet stream is tilted downward the stream is short and its rotation fast and when tilted upward the stream is long and its rotation slow. The change of stream lengthis not only due to the change in the oscillation amplitude but is also due to the change in stream inclination. This produces a considerably greater variation in stream length than in previous devices of this kind that depended upon oscillation amplitude alone. It is evident that speed of rotation must vary in a constant volume delivery sprinkler of this type to afford uniform distribution, the volume required for a short throw being less than for a long throw.

The cam 17 is of split and hinged construction as shown in FIG. 9 and made preferably of light weight on the standard 4 and is locked and precluded from lateral turning by means of the removable pin 19.

As shown in FIG. 3, bending of the water passage conduit between the spindle 5 and thenozzle 8 is made possible by means of the flexible conduit which is clamped over the upper end of the spindle on one end, the end open to the nozzle being fitted closely into the nozzles lower opening and held water tight by the expansive force of the water being forced through the nozzle. It will be noted from FIG. 3 that the lower opening of the flexible conduit is set back from the opening at the nozzle which causes the angle of bending to be greatest at the highest inclination of the nozzle and straightest at the lowest inclination. This permits the use of a smaller weight on the lever 16 as the expansive force of the water tends to straighten the conduit thus urging the inclination downward. An alternate flexible connection is shown in FIG. 4 with aball joint connect-ion 21 being shown rather than the preferred flexible tubing.

As the oscillation of the clapper 9 through the jet stream of a single nozzle impulse sprinkler utilizing a stop to limit the amplitude of oscillation of the clapper tends to distribute an excess of water in the central portion of an irrigation pattern, especially in the higher pressures and stream ranges, I have provided an additional nozzle 22 as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7. This nozzle is aimed so as to discharge its jet stream generally parallel in direction and inclination to that produced by the impulse nozzle but is located on the distribution head so as to be out of reach of the clapper and thus its stream is not broken as is the case of the impulse stream. The relative size of this nozzle is such as to discharge a jet stream whose overall length is the same as that produced by the impulse nozzle with the heel of this jet stream being at the outer edge of the heavy central distribution of water in the pattern caused by the agitation of the clapper through the impulse stream. In other words, this auxiliary nozzle does not discharge any of its water to the central portion of the pattern. By means of this arrangement an excellent uniformity of fluid distribution is accomplished.

As shown in FIG. 8, the clapper oscillation stop 12 is aflixed to the bracket 13 by means of the two removable bolts 23 and 24. By fastening this stop to the bracket through a selection of adjacent holes in the stop a variety of clapper oscillation distances may be obtained and thus permit more or less amplitude of oscillation according to water pressures and volumes, the less pressure the less oscillation distance being mandatory for proper action of the sprinkler. The stop, being firmly bolted to the bracket 13 and with the greater weight and stability of the adjacent component-s, provides a firmer and less yielding striking surface for control of clapper oscillation than that provided in previous devices of this type and hence imparts a more positive ratio of revolution speed ranges and a greater range of positive operation in regard to varying water supply pressures.

It is believed that the nature and advantages of my invention will be clear from the foregoing description. Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A sprinkler having a rotary and tiltable distribution head in'cludinga 'nozzle for fluid distribution with said nozzle tilting contiguously with said head, impulse clapper means to rotate said distribution head by means of clapper oscillation, cam means in association with and variably controlling the amplitude of oscillation of said clapper means and the degree of tilt of said distribution head, the combination of said means causing said sprinkler to form an area spray pattern and said head to vary in rotational speed and degree of tilt during each revolution of said head.

2. A fluid dispensing sprinkler having a rotary and tiltable distribution head, impulse clapper means to rotate said distribution head, a fluid distribution nozzle in association with said head and tilting contiguously with said head, lever means mounted on said head, a cam-plate mounted on said sprinkler, with said lever means controlled by said cam-plate and said lever means variably controlling the amplitude of said clapper means and the degree of tilt of said distribution head so as to cause said sprinkler to form an area spray pattern in conformance with said cam-plates pattern and said head to vary in rotational speed and degree of tilt during each revolution of said head with said speed variance and said degree of tilt being controlled by said cam-plates pattern.

3. A sprinkler having rotary and tiltable fluid distribution means for producing an area spray pattern, impulse clapper means to rotate a tiltable distribution head by means of clapper oscillation, a nozzle tilting contiguously with said head with means to oscillate said clapper means and distribute fluid to the central and outer portions of said area pattern, a nozzle tilting contiguously with said head with means to sprinkle the outer portions of said area pattern, earn means in association with and variably controlling the amplitude of oscillation of said clapper means and the degree of tilt of said distribution head the combination of said means causing said sprinkler to form an area spray pattern and said distribution head to vary in rotational speed and degree of tilt during each revolution of said distribution means.

4. A fluid sprinkler for producing an area spray pattern including a rotary and tiltable distribution head, a nozzle distributing a portion of fluid from said head and tilting contiguously with said head, with said portion of fluid from said nozzle oscillating impulse clapper means in association with said head to rotate said head and said nozzle and cause principally the central and secondarily the outer portions of said area pattern to be sprinkled, a nozzle distributing the balance of fluid from said head and tilting contiguously with said head with said fluid being parallel to that of said fluid from said nozzle oscillating said clapper means but bypassing said clapper means and causing the outer portions only of said area pattern to be sprinkled, cam means in association with and variably controlling the amplitude of oscillation of said clapper means and the degree of tilt of said distribution head and thereby the nozzles in said head, the combination of said means causing said sprinkler to form an area spray pattern and said distribution head to vary in rotational speed and degree of tilt during each revo lution of said distribution head.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, in which said clapper means include a horizontally pivoted clapper with one end of said clapper projected so as to swing into and out of the fluid discharged from said nozzle in association with said clapper means and the other end of said clapper projected so as to swing to stop means in association with said tiltable distribution head with the arc of oscillation of said clapper being variably limited by the degree of tilt of said tilta'ble head with said variable limitation being proportional to said degree of tilt.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 691,419 Vandervo-ort Ian. 21, 1902 1,938,838 Jacobson Dec. 12, 1933 2,084,585 Keith June 22, 1937 2,475,537 Ashworth July 5, 1949 2,904,261 Johnson Sept. 15, 1959 2,989,248 Norland June 20, 1961 2,999,645 Kennedy Sept. 12, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 443,764 Germany May 6, 1927 

1. A SPRINKLER HAVING A ROTARY AND TILTABLE DISTRIBUTION HEAD INCLUDING A NOZZLE FOR FLUID DISTRIBUTION WITH SAID NOZZLE TITLTING CONTIGUOUSLY WITH SAID HEAD, IMPULSE CLAPPER MEANS TO ROTATE SAID DISTRIBUTION HEAD BY MEANS OF CLAPPER OSCILLATION, CAM MEANS IN ASSOCIATION WITH AND VARIABLY CONTROLLING THE AMPLITUDE OF OSCILLATION OF SAID CLAPPER MEANS AND THE DEGREE OF TILT OF SAID DISTRIBUTION HEAD, THE COMBINATION OF SAID MEANS CAUSING SAID SPRINKLER TO FORM AN AREA SPRAY PATTERN AND SAID HEAD TO VARY IN ROTATIONAL SPEED AND DEGREE OF TILT DURING EACH REVOLUTION OF SAID HEAD. 